Surrender Yourself to the One True Lord

Isaiah 66:2b,3b: "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word . . . . (but) They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations."


If there were an excellent summation of the entire book of Isaiah, it would be found in this simple citation above. God is a loving Lord who wishes to bless all men and bestow His mercy and grace to them. Tragically, however, many refuse such an offering of grace in favor of the exaltation of themselves as their own lord. Whereas they might not formally participate in ceremonious ritual to worship themselves, by their thoughts and actions of self-consumption, they reveal hearts that are focused upon the satisfaction of their own appetites above all others (including God). They might deny such a reality exists in their lives; nevertheless, their behavior indicates that their first priority is in fact themselves. Deep within their souls, they resent the thought of a Higher, Supreme Authority to which they must yield. They want to be god themselves. They even will use illogical ideologies (like evolution) to discredit any notion of a Sovereign Lord; by doing so, they believe that they can legitimize their own selfish pursuits as morally acceptable (even preferable).

God does not bless such debased behavior, for to do so would be to counter His rightful place as the Sovereign, Holy Lord over all. Rather than honor such abominable behavior, the Lord ultimately brings judgment to such treason (see Revelation 20). And whereas we know that all of us deserve God's divine wrath, for all of us have sinned against His Lordship (Romans 3:10-11, 23), we find hope in His death and resurrection, offered as the only sufficient payment for our sins.

In response to such an offering of grace, we are called to humble ourselves before the Lord, confess our sins of rebellion against Him, and surrender ourselves to Him as our Master and Savior. The Lord promises in the passage above that He will esteem those who will humble themselves in a spirit of contrition and tremble in reverential respect for His Word. Those who yield themselves to God's rightful rule in their lives can expect deliverance. Those who "choose their own ways and delight in their own abominations" should understand that such choosings are detestable to the Lord. In the end, the Lord will not hold those people guiltless for desiring themselves as their own lord; His divine wrath will be brought upon them in full measure for all eternity (see Isaiah 66:4).